Self Preservation A Little Too Late Revised
by crooked-little-smile
Summary: A revision of my previous story. Bella walks in on a secret Edward would rather she didn't know. What happens when blood is spilled and Jasper is the only one able to keep his cool?
1. Chapter 1

While re-reading Self Preservation A Little Too Late I realized that I wasn't as happy with it as I was when I first started writing it. I have decided to revise it and continue with the story at the same time. Once I get the first 8 chapters revised and posted I will start to post a new chapter hopefully once a week. Please bear with me, I know it has been awhile since I have updated.

As always this is a disclaimer for all of Self Preservation A Little Too Late:

-I do not own any part of Twilight.

-All recognizable characters are property of the talented Stephanie Meyer

-If you don't like what you read, feel free to comment to your hearts content. A few bad comments only encourage me to prove you wrong.

-Please review if you were a previous reader so I know if the revision is okay.

~Crooked-Little-Smile~

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><p>Prologue:<p>

I felt the eyes on me as every student at Forks High watched me walking through the hallway without Edward by my side. He hadn't shown up to drive me to school like he normally did and I had ended up walking to school in the light drizzle. Light drizzle or not, I had been soaked by the time I walked into class.

Rosalie, surprisingly, had taken me to the locker room and given me a set of clothes. It was obvious that they had been kept for me because they wouldn't have fit me if they were hers. It was a Rosalie outfit, which combined sexy without showing too much skin. I was wearing designer jeans and a turtle neck shirt with a cowl neck that showed only a bit of cleavage. I was happy that she didn't make me where the shoes that I saw in the locker that no doubt matched the outfit.

"Thank you, Rosalie." I said as she walked away from me.

She glanced back at me and looked me up and down for a second before she nodded and left.

"Hey, Bella, did you finally dump that Cullen guy?" Mike asked jogging up to me and walking with me to the hall. He had never really called him by his name, always referring to him as 'that Cullen guy.' It always made me laugh when I saw Edwards expression while Mike spoke.

"No, Mike, why would you think that?" I asked as we walked into Calculus class and took our seats. Normally I would sit with Edward but I didn't see the harm in sitting with Mike today.

"Well, he's not here." Mike said with a grin. "And this is the third time this month that he's let you walk to school. If you had called I would have come and got you."

"We haven't broken up, Mike, sorry to disappoint." I told him but his grin didn't falter.

"That's okay, we can still hang out today." I smiled at that, realizing just how sheltered I had become from before I had moved to Forks and before I had met Edward. I barely hung out with my friends anymore and the more I thought about it through the day the more angry I got. I sent Edward several texts, but with no reply I tried to call at lunch.

"Hello?" Edward answered one ring before the answering machine.

"Hey, Edward." I said, "Where were you this morning?"

"Oh, Sorry Bella, I was out hunting with Alice." He said. "What do you need?"

"I want to talk to you after school." I said, and I noticed my nervousness spike when I saw Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett watching me through the cafeteria window. I knew they could hear every word I was saying. "Are you going to be home around four o'clock?"

"Sure, I'll be waiting for you." He said and I frowned when he didn't offer to pick me up. He never let me drive anywhere myself anymore. He hung up with another word and when I looked up from my phone the three remaining Cullen's were standing in front of me. Emmett was leaning against the wall, holding Rosalie to him, and Jasper stood with his arms crossed. "Do any of you want to explain what's going on?" I asked them and none of them moved. They knew something. All three of them. Suspicions flew through my head and I watched Jaspers eyes close as he felt my emotions.

"What happens now is up to you, Bella." Rosalie said. "The question is: are you going to be weak little Bella, or finally stand up for yourself and stop taking his shit."

With those words she walked away, Emmett close behind her.

"Bella," Jasper said nodding once before leaving as well. They were all going to their classes but I walked home, using the time to think. The more I thought about it the more I couldn't help but come to the same conclusion over and over again. My heart refused to allow my head to think the words.

At three thirty I got in my truck and slowly drove to the Cullen house. Edward was at my door the second I pulled into the drive way, smiling and opening my door. I dodged his hand, offered to help me out to the truck. I preceded him into the house, ignoring every one of the Cullen's sitting in the living room as I walked up the stairs and into Edward's bedroom. I looked around at the perfectly made bed, the perfectly organized books and cd's and notebooks.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Edward asked sitting on the edge of the bed. "Normally you've sexually assaulted me by now."

"And normally you've rejected me by now, so I figured not to play that re-run out today." I said, unable to cut the biting tone out of my words.

"Bella, you know I want to wait until we're married before I bring our relationship to that level. Until after I've changed you." He spoke softly, like he was coddling a small child.

"But you're not going to change me." I said, sitting at his desk chair. "Are you?"

If I hadn't been avidly watching him I would have missed his eyes darting down.

"We agreed that if I married you, you would turn me, after we had sex." I said. "That was our deal."

"I remember what was said, Bella." He said sighing. "But your hormones are keeping you from seeing this properly. It's not safe in any way to try to have a physical relationship while you're so frail."

"Weak." I said and he frowned.

"Pardon?" He asked.

"The proper word is weak." I said remembering Rosalie's words from earlier. "I'm going to ask you a question. I want an honest answer from you. You owe me at least that much."

He frowned but he nodded and moved to kneel in front of me.

"Anything, Love." He said with a small smile.

"Are you sleeping with Alice?"

END CHAPTER ONE!


	2. Chapter 2

Well, readers, this is chapter 2. I decided to add more before the bigger stuff happens and add a few tailspins as well. Tell me what you think about the revision.

~Crooked-Little-Smile~

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><p>"Of course I am, Bella." He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm a man with needs and until you are physically able to satisfy them I go to Alice."<p>

I stared. There wasn't really much else I could do. Not only was he sleeping with his brothers wife, my best friend, but he also believed it was perfectly okay.

"I promise you, Bella, as soon as were married and you're turned I will stop." He said kissing my forehead.

"You think we're still getting married?" I said nearly choking on the words. "I barely wanted to marry you in the first place, but it sure as fuck isn't happening now!"

"Bella, must you curse?" He asked, frowning as if it caused him pain.

"Yes, I fucking must." I said standing up and his frown turned into a scowl.

"That is no way for a lady to act and all you're doing is proving that you are in no way responsible or emotionally capable to become a vampire." He said standing and crossing his arms.

"Great!" I shouted at him and I stopped myself from trying to punch him. The last time I had punched a mythical creature my hand had broken. "Maybe I don't want to be a fucking vampire anymore!"

He sighed as if I were annoying him and put on a small smile.

"Bella, we can talk about this tonight when I help you sleep." He said to me.

"I swear to you, Edward Cullen, if I even think I see you near my window tonight I will shoot you with my father's gun and let you explain to the entire Fork Police Department why you're not hurt." I said and suddenly I was up against the wall. There had been no noise made but Edward had me pinned to the wall by my throat.

"Bella, remember your place." He said in a growl and I screamed. In an instant Edward was thrown off of me and I sank to the ground watching through blurry vision as Emmett and Jasper both started pushing Edward away from me.

"Bella, did he hurt you?" Emmett asked over his shoulder.

"I would never hurt her." Edward denied, argrily shoving Emmett but he didn't budge.

"Not physically." I said bringing my hand up to my throat.

"Your throat is already bruising." Carlisle said and several growls broke out through the room.

"Bella, I'm sorry." Edward said, "Please forgive me." He added and in my peripheral vision I saw Rosalie shake her head.

"Stay away from me, Edward." I said, my voice gaining strength with every word. "We are over."

He growled and lunged at me but Jasper stopped him. He moved so quickly that I couldn't see him throw Edward out of his open bedroom window.

"Bella, are you hurt anywhere else?" Carlisle asked, concerned.  
>I ignored him, standing up and walking out of the room. I made it down the hallway and I stopped in the living room, waiting for the others to catch up.<p>

"I know that I still have to be turned." I said and I saw Carlisle sigh. He knew what the reprecussions would be if I refused. "But I'm going home and I'm telling my dad what's going on. Then I'm telling Jacob and the pack. I'll make it so that no one is at fault."

Without waiting for protest, or objection, I walked out to my car. Rosalie got their before me and I didn't argue when she got behind the wheel of my truck. I hauled myself into the passenger seat and buckled myself in.

When we were about half way there she pulled onto the side of the road. For a moment she didn't say anything but I could tell she wanted to.

"Bella, I'm proud of you." She said and I looked over at her, surprised. "Honestly, I thought you would forgive him and allow him to keep cheating on you. I understand that you only wanted to be a vampire to spend the rest of your life with Edward. If you really don't want to be turned I won't let Carlisle bite you."

"Rosalie, if I don't get turned the Volturri will kill all of you." I said. "I have to be turned. I can't let your family take the blame for Edwards behavior."

"I'm not going to tell you what to do." She said. "You've had enough of that from Edward. It's your life, so it's your choice. But I want you to think about it very hard. The perks sound great, but the things you lose are important."

"Rosalie," I said, "Do you really think that I didn't think about these things before I asked Edward to change me?" I asked her. She looked shocked but didn't say anything to me. "I knew what I was giving up, I thought about never having a child of my own, or never experiencing certain things. To me, it was worth it to spend the rest of my existence with Edward. I was willing to give up those things for him. He wasn't willing to do the same for me so he doesn't deserve my lifetime." For a while she just stared at me before she turned back onto the road and drove me home. When she put the car in park she got out with me and smiled.

"Good luck with your dad." She said to me. "I hope you don't mind but someone will be watching to make sure Edward doesn't show up."

I nodded as I went into my house and the first thing I did was take a hot shower and cry for almost an hour. When I got out and got dressed I went down and ordered a pizza. It arrived as my dad did and he brought it in.

"Hey, Bells." My dad said as he walked into the kitchen. I took out a slice of pizza and started eating. When we were both done eating I sat down again.

"Dad, I broke up with Edward." I said and I watched him switch from shock, pride, fear, and concern.

"Did he hurt you?" He asked and I shook my head, the turtle neck I was wearing covering the bruises.

"No, dad. But I need to talk to you about something. It's about the Cullens. And I know your going to think I'm crazy but I need you to believe me." I said, sounding more desperate with every word.

"Bella, don't worry." He said. "I already know that the Cullen's are vampires."


	3. Chapter 3

So, chapter 3 of the revised version is here, please leave reviews to know if I'm going okay, better, or worse than the original.

~Crooked-Little-Smile~

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><p>"What?" I asked, positive I had heard wrong. This was not how this conversation was supposed to go. I was supposed to reveal the existence of vampires to my dad, calm him down, convince him not to have me committed, and explain that I would need to be turned into one in the near future.<p>

"Bella, when you first started hanging out with Edward Billy came and talked to me. He told me all about the Cullen's, and even though he didn't support the relationship that was growing between you, he told me that all of them abstained from killing humans. They also told me that they would be watching you very carefully." My father explained to me and I pulled out my phone.

Ring…

Ring…

Ring…

"Hello?" Billy Black answered on the third ring.

"Hey, Billy, it's Bella, I was wondering if you could get the pack down to my house. I'm going to invite the Cullen's as well so make sure to let them know that any act of aggression from either party will result in eating dog food for the next three weeks."

"Alright, Bella, we'll be there in an hour." Billy said before hanging up. My phone buzzed with a text message.

~I heard. We will be there. ~Emmett

My dad and I watched the baseball game while we waited and at the same time about ten cars pulled up to our house and I heard squealing tires, honking horns and curse words shouted from both groups of mythical creatures.

There was a curtious knock on the door and then the sound of someone being shoved out of the way and into the wall before Billy was wheeled in by Jacob.

"I'm going to fix your wall, Charlie." Jacob said and my dad laughed as he and Billy shook hands. "We'll get some more couches in here."

Jacob and a few other pack members left and came back with two couches that barely fit in the living room, so that everyone had a place to sit now.

"Okay, I know there is a bit of tension between everyone here so I'm going to set some house rules. If you break a rule you will have to eat dog food for the next three weeks. I want everyone to sign this." I said setting down my makeshift contract. It was passed around and once I checked that everyones signature was on it I nodded and put it in my pocket.

"Rule 1: everyone is to stay calm. If you suddenly feel the urge to eat some furry animals, or become a furry animal, go outside.

Rule 2: Everyone must understand that everything I say tonight I have made up my mind and the only thing you will accomplish by arguing or throwing a fit will be walking out of my life forever.

Rule 3: I concider every one in this room my family. You will get over your differences while you are with me, because I won't deal with it.

Rule 4:" I added looking over at Edward who stood in a corner. "If you move so much as an inch closer to me, or speak one word without permission from me, I will give the pack every reason they need to rip you to shreads."

Everyone in the room nodded and I sat back in my seat.

"All of you know that I ran away last year. Long story short, Edward thought I was dead, and he was going to ask the Volturri, the vampire royalty, to kill him. I couldn't let that happen so Alice took me to Italy and we saved Edward. While we were there, Aro became interested in me and agreed that in order to allow the Cullen's to live after breaking the law I would be turned." I waited for objections from the pack but they had taken my words seriously and stayed silent. "I agreed because I loved Edward and I wanted to spend eternity with him. Until I found out that he was cheating on me today with Alice and thought it was perfectly acceptable. Now, Rosalie assured me that if I didn't want to be changed that she would protect me, but I know that if I don't the entire Cullen family will be killed. I can't let that happen, so what needs to happen now is everyone in this room needs to understand that I will become a vampire after I graduate high school in three months."

….

….

….

Silence held the room in a sort of calm before the storm for a long moment.

"Bella, the pact between the Cullen's and the pack is solid." Billy spoke quietly. "If they turn you, we will kill them."

"No." Jasper said and I was shocked to hear him speak. "The pact says that if a Cullen were to bite and kill a human then our lives would be forfeit."

"She wouldn't be ALIVE anymore, leach." Leah popped off with and Jasper just smiled. He walked over to the desk and pulled out a dictionary. He flipped to a page close to the beginning and smiled again.

"Alive: in a state of action." He said. "If she's turned she can still move around, talk, and after she gets control of herself, she would still be Bella, just less injury prone."

"The only reason you want her changed is because your neck is on the line!" Sam demanded and Jasper actually laughed at him.

"I assure you, my neck is not on the line. The only reason the Volturri want's an excuse to kill us is because he knows that he can't fight us. We may practice a peaceful lifestyle, but I assure you I haven't always. I lived a life of women, blood and war, and I was good at it. You can bet over the years that I've taught my family a few tricks, just in case. Are knows that he doesn't stand a chance and he's going to try to use our situation to bring hundreds of vampires to Forks to kill us. And they will feed before they come to us. They would probably kill every person in Forks and even on your reservation before they came after us. But if we change her, with your approval, we don't have to worry about an attack from you. We can add all of you to the list of people who will be there to help Bella through the first year, where she's going to need all the people she can get."

I had never heard that many words come from Jasper in all the time I had known him. Tears filled my eyes at his word and I tried to hide them. I knew I had failed when Jasper looked over at me.

"Thank you." I said quietly and he nodded. He smirked and tipped his head to me before moving back to his seat. I jumped when Edward growled and I saw Alice standing beside him. "Do you have something to say?" I asked.

"Jaspers control isn't good, Bella." Alice said, eyes darting from left to right. "He shouldn't have come with us."

"Okay, I've had enough!" I snapped, standing up and crossing my arms. "Out of everyone here Jasper is the most calm here. He's dealing with the bloodlust of at least 5 vampires, the anger of everyone, my emotions, which I've been told are like a rollercoaster and yet he hasn't made one move towards my carotid so can we all just chill on the Jasper has no control!"

And as Bella's Luck would have it, I tripped over nothing when I went to walk out of the room. Everything moved in slow motion, I saw the corner of the coffee table coming straight at my head, I saw everyone in the room rush for me, getting in each other's way and I felt the pain exploded before I saw nothing and drifted away.


	4. Chapter 4

As always, please review to let me know how I'm doing.

Jasper's POV:

We all heard her head collide with the corner of the table, the sickening crunch on her skull cracking. The smell of her blood filled the room and despite her little speech about my control not a minute ago, I inhaled slowly, savoring the smell of it. Edward was not doing so well. I could feel his control slipping and I growled. Emmett and Rosalie ran over to him, pinning him to the wall so that he couldn't hurt or kill Bella.

Bella's father, Charlie, held Bella in his arms and was trying to wake her up. Jacob and the pack were standing between us and her, like a barrier keep us away.

"Let Carlisle through!" Charlie shouted and they made an exception for the doctor. I focused on keeping everyone calm. This was not the time or the place to panic, nor to lose our tempers. Everyone's main goal was to make sure Bella was okay. I watched Carlisle work on Bella, covering the wound to stop the bleeding that had already covered Carlisle's hands and Charlie's shirt.

"Jasper, we can't hold him." Rose grunted out and my eyes snapped to where Edward was steadily gaining freedom. I darted over to him and punched him in the face as hard as I could, adding lethargy to the mix and he fell to the ground, as close to unconscious as a vampire could get. It was a skill I had perfected over the years and it had saved my life many times.

"He'll be out until I wake him up." I said, unable to hold the growl from my voice. The aggression, the blood and the situation itself had me on edge and I didn't understand why.

Everyone heard Alice gasp and I watched her fall to her knee's without real concern.

"They're here." She whispered, and she looked frantically at me. "Jasper, have to wake him up! The Volturri are here. They'll be here in less than 5 minutes!"

"Bella is stabilized but unconscious." Carlisle said with a sigh and he stood up. "Charlie, stay with Bella, do not leave her side for any reason. Billy, please stay with Charlie." When both of the older men nodded he turned to the pack. "Seeing as these are the leaders of the vampire world we'll take point here. Try not to say anything because they will turn it around in some way. Just keep Bella safe."

They nodded, seeming to realize how important it was to use caution right now. The first thing they did was quickly remove all of the furniture from the room, then put them self in places that had Bella, Billy and Charlie surrounded on all sides.

I gave Edward a bit of alertness and allowed him to wake up the rest of the way. He started to attack me but Alice explained what was happening and he stopped. I felt a bit of satisfaction come from him but there were more important things to think about right now.

Rosalie and Alice moved behind Emmett, Edward, Carlisle and I and exactly five minutes after Alice said there was a polite knock on the door and Aro, Jane and Reneta walked in.

"Carlisle, I see you've made some friends." Aro said and his personal shield moved closer to him. If she got any closer she would meld with him. "I know you have your lifestyle but really? Fraternizing with dogs? What would my brother think?"

"They are shifters, Aro, not werewolves." Carlisle said, no aggression in his voice at all. I reached into him, anchoring onto his inner calm, his serenity and broadcasted it throughout the room.

"I see we've had an accident." Aro said looking at Bella through the pack with a small smile. Slowly he inhaled the scent of her blood. "She smells as good as I remember." He said. "I assume you're going to change her right now?" He asked with a knowing grin looking at Edward.

"No, he won't." I found myself saying and had the satisfaction or watching Aro jump a little. I mad him nervous, which worked for me.

"I believe she is Edwards mate, Major Whitlock." He spoke with more confidence than he felt.

"She may be his singer but she is not his mate." I said and I saw the fear in Alice and Edwards eyes. "Not only did Bella break up with him earlier today for cheating on her, but his love for her is that of a possession, not a mate."

"And what would you know of a mate's love?" Edward snapped. "You partnered with Alice and you didn't know she wasn't your mate."

"I knew." I said, sending fear to him to shut him up. "I knew from the second she walked into that bar that she wasn't my mate. But I knew she would lead me to her." I said.

"No!" Alice screamed. "You can't have known! I made sure of it! If you fall in love with her you'll go back to Maria! You can't be Bella's mate."

Well, that was news to me. I stared at her and saw Edward realize that I hadn't even thought of Bella as my mate and he dropped his head.

"Does someone want to explain to me what's going on here!" Charlie shouted, his confusion, and his fear for his daughter finally winning over his selfcontrol.

"Charlie," Alice said and I felt her regret, her sadness, her anger as she spoke. "I saw Bella in my first vision sixty years ago, shortly after I saw a vision of me living with the Cullen's. I saw her as a human first, and every day I would get a new vision. I saw her meet Jasper, saw her be changed, saw her get married, and finally I saw her taking Jasper to Maria. Maria is a vampire constantly fighting for land and territories with other vampires. I saw that if Bella and Jasper go to Maria she'll gain two unbeatable assets and soon the war would come to us. I went to Edward first, knowing that he was a mind reader, and together we came up with a plan to stop it from happening. I got Jasper to the Cullen's so that he could quit drinking human blood. Then when Bella moved here we made sure that Edward was the first one she interacted with. I tried to find a way that would keep her out of this world but this was the only way."

I was shocked. How had I not seen that this girl was supposed to be my mate? How could I believe that she was? Just because Alice said something doesn't mean she's telling the truth.

"Be that as it may," Aro said and I felt his glee. "Either Bella is turned,-"

Before he could get the rest of his threat out I growled and he stopped.

"If Bella is my mate that I will decide if and when she is turned." I said. "But until we have proof nothing will happen. So I suggest you go back to Italy and wait for a phone call from me."

I watched him think, probably trying to decide wether or not to challenge me but he chose to back down and I smiled.

"You have a month. I want Bella, in Italy to prove that she has been turned." Aro said before leaving and the tension left the room.

"Edward, Alice, I would like both of you to go to Alaska until we have everything figured out." Esme said and without hesitation both of them left.

When the silence in the room had lasted almost five minutes Charlie spoke up.

"I can't let you take my daughter away from me." He said quietly, looking down at Bella.

"Charlie," Carlisle said quietly looking down at Esme. When she nodded he smiled and kissed her forehead. "We can turn you too. If you want to, that is. Your life is at risk because you know of us, and Aro could come after you at any time, but if we turn you, we wouldn't be breaking any laws.

"No!" Sam shouted. "I'm the Alpha, and if you Cullen's bite either Bella or Charlie it will be considered an act of war."

"Well, Sam, first things first, you aren't really the Alpha. Jacob is. And second, I'm not a Cullen." I said with an even grin.


	5. Chapter 5

Well readers, Chapter 5 is up! I hope you enjoy this as much as I am fixing it. Please review because I'm not sure if everyone likes it.

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><p>"Dad?" I whispered, my head killing me. I wasn't in my bed, or a hospital, but I could hear a heart monitor somewhere near me. "Dad, my head hurts."<p>

"Well you smacked your head on the coffee table, Bells." My dad said beside me and I finally managed to blink my eyes open before slamming them shut again in pain. "You have twelve stitches from your temple up into your hairline."

I slowly sat up, and with some help I made it to the bathroom. I took care of business but as I went to open the bathroom door I was hit by a wave of nausea had me on my knees.

"Bella!" I heard my dad and Carlisle shout and suddenly I was back on the bed I had been in. Only now did I realize that I had never been in this room before. The bed was covered in a forest green comforter.

"Bella, you need to be extremely careful. Right now I can't take you to the hospital so I don't know the extent of your injury." Carlisle said and I nodded at him.

"Where is everyone?" I asked. "Did they leave because I was bleeding?" I hoped no one had lost control. It wouldn't be good for the Vampire Werewolf drama.

"No, Bella, the Volturri showed up while you were unconscious. Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett went to make sure that Aro left the country." Carlisle said and he explained everything that had happened while I was unconscious. I couldn't believe that Edward and Alice would lie to their entire family like that. Also, I had just broken up with a vampire; I wasn't ready to get in a relationship with another one!

When I told my dad and Carlisle that they both nodded in understanding. I was told that I needed to rest and they both left. I looked around the room before getting up and looking at the books lined up on the wall to wall bookshelves. There was a large assortment of history books and fictional books. I picked out a few and took them back to the bed. The first one I opened was old, and I was shocked to see a likeness of Jasper drawn on the front cover. I looked through the table of contents and I smiled when I saw a section called, The life of Jasper Whitlock, youngest Major in the confederate army.

A few hours later I was woken up by Jacobs's voice, mockingly reading part of the book.

"Major Bloodsucker is rumored to have frequented the River Hostel owned by a woman who was hung for her sinful profession." He said before shutting the book and setting it down on the nightstand. "No wonder you fell asleep reading, Bella."

"Hey Jacob." I said quietly, my head still throbbing.

"How are you feeling?" He asked me, moving hair away from my temple and wincing at the wound.

"About as good as I look right now." I said and we both laughed.

"So you know that they're going to change your dad too, right?" He asked me and I nodded.

"I can't say anything about it, because I'm doing the same thing and he's being accepting of that." I told him and he nodded.

"Did I tell you I'm now the Alpha?" He said grinning. "When Jasper pissed off Sam he challenged me to prove that he was the Alpha and I decided it was time to take my place in the pack."

"That's great." I said. "Does this mean you get to wear the headdress at the bonfires now?"

"Ha-ha, Bella, very funny." He said, his cheeks turning a bit pink.

"You do!" I said, unable to stop my laughter.

"Shut up, Bella, it's not funny!" He said standing up. He looked up and towards the window. "They're back. That must mean Aro is on a plane out of the country.

Jacob carried me downstairs to where everyone was sitting and set me down on his lap. I didn't really mind but the others were glaring at Jacob.

"You know what," He said. "She's only gonna smell this good for a little while longer so if you all have a problem with it, bite me."

"Aro is on the plane and if it turns around for any reason the pilot has been given directions to call me immediately." Jasper said and I found myself unable to look up at him. If he was really supposed to be my mate how could I deal with that.

"Bella," Esme said and I blushed. "I think that you and your father need to come up with a story about how you're moving somewhere. Say you're joining the peace core and your dad is coming with you."

"Sounds good," I said looking at my father who was also nodding. "Um… When are we going to do this?" I asked looking around.

"One week from now." Carlisle said. "That will give us some time to help you control yourself before we have to go to Italy before Aro comes back here."

I nodded, looking down at my hands as I thought.

"We would have to leave before I was turned." I said looking back up. "I don't want to risk anyone here if anything happens."

"Nothing's going to happen." Emmett said with a smile.

"Just in case." I said.

"Bella, don't worry." Jasper said and I finally looked at him. "I've been in charge of thirty newborns at a time. Not a single one of them has ever gotten past me. I promise you, I won't let you lose control, and even if you do, I'll get it back for you."


	6. Chapter 6

The next chapter is here and I've brought Jasper into the mix!

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><p>When I got out of the proctored test room I saw Mike standing against the wall.<p>

"Bella, I can't believe you're leaving! You're not even going to graduate!" He said, pulling me into a hug. He must have sat there for three hours after school had gotten out while I had been testing.

"Actually, I just got my diploma." I said, holding up my rolled certificate of completion.

"So you're really going to join the Peace Core?" He asked me as we walked out of the hallway.

"Yup, me and Rosalie are and our families are coming with." I said to him. I made it to my locker and started clearing it out.

"I'm gonna miss you, Bella." He said and I didn't mention that I saw the tears her was trying to hide.

"I'm gonna miss you too, but I have to go. Our plane leaves in a few hours." I said to him before getting in my car and driving away. The drive back to my house seemed to take forever and I could feel eyes on my. I knew that one of the Cullen's was watching in case anything happened. When I saw the public library an idea popped in my head and I pulled into the lot.

When I went inside I browsed around until one of the computers were free and sat down. I used my library id number to log on and when the system was done loading I opened up the internet browser. I glanced around, making sure no one was behind me and I typed in the words 'River Hostel; Galveston, TX" and hit enter. Several newspaper clippings popped up and I skimmed through all of them.

According to the news the River Hostel was a hotel that catered to travelers. It was open for fifty years before it was shut down because the sheriff had found evidence of rape in most of the rooms. It was basically a whore house that had allowed the women to be raped and tortured sexually, according to the Sheriff.  
>I frowned at that and nearly jumped a foot when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I logged off and as I was getting out of the library I checked the message.<p>

~Just got the news, Gratz, Bells. –Dad.~

I smiled as I got back into my car and screamed when the passenger door opened and Jasper got in the seat beside me.

"Shit, Jasper, way to give a girl a heart attack." I said resting my head on my steering wheel until my heart stopped racing and I felt like I could breathe again.

"If you were curious," He said, "you could have just asked."

I gulped and started the car, pulling out of the lot. "I don't know what you're talking about, Jasper." I said quietly. I heard him chuckle and he reached over and buckled my seatbelt. I gasped when his ice cold hand touched my hip.

"Bella, you are completely oblivious to the outside world when you read." He said and I glanced over at him quickly. "Even if I couldn't tell you were lying to me by the way your pulse speeds up and your eyes dart around, I was standing about three feet behind you as you looked up the River Hostel and you never realized."

I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel, trying to figure a way out, a way to deny but I could see him smirking beside me, so I jerked the wheel to the right, stomped on the brake, put my truck in park and got out. We were parked on the side of the highway and when I stomped around to his side of the door he raised a brow at me in question.

"If we are going to talk you're going to have to drive otherwise I'm going to wrap my truck around a tree trunk." I said to him and immediately he got out, held the door for me and shut it once I was seated. I watched him walk at a human pace around the hood of the truck and get in the driver's seat. He started to drive down the street and I was shocked to see that he drove slightly under the speed limit.

"Why don't you start by asking a question?" He suggested and I bit my lip.

"Are you still with Alice?" I asked and I saw that he hadn't expected that one. He kept the truck strait but he looked over at me.

"No, I haven't been with Alice since I found out that she was sleeping with Edward." He said.

"How long?"

"How long have I known? Or how long have they been sleeping together?"

"Both." I said.

"I've known for a month. I told Alice that she needed to tell you. I gave her a month before I would tell you myself." He said and I nodded. "As far as I know they've been together since before she met me."

"Is that why he wouldn't…" I couldn't finish my question but Jasper pulled over and stopped on the side of the road.

"Bella, I can't tell you exactly why Edward wouldn't satisfy you. From what I've been able to tell from his emotions during those times, he didn't think his control was strong enough, or he was guilty of being attracted to Alice instead of you. Their entire plan for the last sixty years was to keep you and me apart. I honestly don't think they thought of anything but that since they met." I was silent as I listened to him speak. I thought about it for a while before I nodded.

"So, the River Hostel." I said, unable to look up at him. "The newspaper said that-"

"One of the girls that worked there got fired because she was breaking the rules and stealing from the owner." Jasper said interrupting me. "She went to the police and told them that the owner sold the girls temporarily to the men to be raped. It was a BDSM Club, one of the first in the state. Everything was consensual and there were strict rules to protect everyone involved. Sheriff Johansson was a strictly religious man and his father and brother were preachers. When he saw all of the bondage equipment and other things in the Hostel he nearly had a heart attack. He immediately arrested the owner and had the place shut down."

My eyes widened and I think I stopped breathing for a moment.

"And, were you part of it?" I asked. "Were you participating in the things that were going on?"

"Bella, if you can't look at me when you ask something like that I can't answer it." He said softly and I looked up at him. He was leaning against the door of my truck watching me and I felt myself calm. I didn't say anything about him using his gift on me because I needed it right now. "Do you know what BDSM is, Bella?" He asked me and I hesitated a minute before I nodded.

"I've read about it before." I said, struggling to keep looking at him. I knew my face had to be some obscene shade of red and I couldn't do anything about it.

"Where did you read it?" He asked me and I shrugged.

"Romance novels," I said quietly. "I've looked up some stuff on the internet."

"There's another book in my room that you should read if you are interested." He said to me. "Back to your question, yes, I was a member of that club and I continued to live that lifestyle until I met Alice."


	7. Chapter 7

Alright guys I know its been a while but I'm going to write one chapter for each of my chapters and this was my first pick. Enjoy.

* * *

><p>The rest of the ride home was silent. It wasn't awkward, but if Jasper hadn't been using his gift on me it most definitely would have been. He parked in front of my house and I saw the moving trucks parked on the street.<p>

I felt my pulse skyrocket and I jumped out of the truck, running into the house and up to my room. I sighed in relief when I saw there had been nothing removed.

"I figured that you would want to pack your own stuff." Rosalie said coming up the stairs with a load of boxes, tape and black markers. "If you need any help, let me know otherwise when you're done just call the guys to get your furniture." She said setting the boxes down on the floor in the center of my room. She winked as she walked out.

I sighed as I looked around my room. There wasn't much in here besides my desk, my POS laptop that was only good for writing stories, my collection of romance, paranormal fiction, scifi, historical literature, my music, my dresser and my bed. I went over into my closet and opened it up. I grabbed a box that had been shoved into the back of my closet and I was checking to make sure nothing was missing when the door opened and Jake walked it. I screamed, jumped and triped, all at the same time and landed on my bed. Unfortunately Jake had tried to catch me, but I dropped the box and he tripped over it, causing him to land on top of me.

"Hey, Bella." Jake whispered, holding most of his weight off of me but I could still feel some of it. I felt my face get red hot when I realized that we were perfectly aligned.

The next thing I heard had me trembling and for a split second absolute fear washed over me. Jake was pulled off of me in a second and I sat up to see Jasper standing a few feet in front of me, between me and Jake.

"What the hell!" Jake snapped and again Jasper growled. I saw Jake try not to back down.

"Jasper," Emmett said stepping into the doorway, holding Rosalie in his arms. She was shaking and she looked absolutely terrified. Emmett did to but I could tell that his concern for his mate allowed him to manage. Jake was scared but his anger at the situation was protecting him. I could tell that everyone, even those I couldn't see, were scared and I knew that it was Jaspers gift that was causing it. I wondered briefly why I could feel these things and I realized with a lot of shock that I felt connected to Jasper, to his gift, and I was not effected by it.

"Jasper, knock it off!" Emmett shouted and I held up my hand. He went silent, taking a step back and I focused on Jasper. He was pissed and I knew it was because he had seen the position Jake and I had been in. We may not have really talked about what was going to happen but I could tell he was feeling the mate part kick in hard. I concentrated on withdrawing the fear until it wasn't effecting the others and I was so shocked when it worked that I lost control and it went back. Just then my head felt like someone was driving a nail into it and I collapsed onto the ground clutching my head. It distracted Jasper enough to focus on me and he crouched down beside me.

"What happened, Bella?" He asked, running his hands through my hair. He spoke quietly but even the low tone sounded like a construction zone in my head. "Get Carlisle." He ordered to someone as he picked me up and set me down on my bed.

"You were using your gift to scare everyone." I whispered when Carlisle had left, unable to find anything. He said that it was likely that I just got a sudden migraine after my head injury.

"When I saw the two of you I didn't like it." He said. "I wanted him to be afraid to get that close to you again."

"But you were scaring Rosalie." I said, starting to sit up and he helped me up so I could sit against my pillows. "You weren't listening to Emmett. I had to stop you."

"D-did she pull your gift?" Rosalie asked quietly and Jasper looked up at her for a second before frowning and looking back at me.

"Where you trying to pull my gift away from me, Bella?" He asked and I shook my head.

"I was just trying to stop Rosalie from being afraid. I didn't mean to do anything." I said quietly.

"Has the headache faded yet?" He asked and I realized that while we had been talking it had gone away. I nodded to him and I stood. I was surprised when he didn't stop me, instead, helping me to my feet. "I think Bella can pack up her own room, Jacob." He said to Jake and gave him a look that sent him out of the room. "If you need any help, call for me." He said picking up the box and holding it out to me with a smirk. I blushed bright red as he and the others left, shutting the door behind them. I got all of my possessions loaded into three boxes but I left my clothes in the dressers. The Cullens would have no problems lifting it.

"Jasper?" I called, getting ready to walk down the stairs. In an instant he was in front of me. I gasped and took a step back.

"Yes?" He asked with a smirk. "Are you done packing?"

"Yeah, I was just wondering… where are we going?" I asked him and he led me back into my room.

"I have two friends from my days in Maria's army." He said. "They live on twenty miles of secured property in Texas. We will have plenty of room to train you and ensure everyone's safety."

"Texas?" I asked, thinking that was the last place that vampires would go.

"The Volturri have no idea that anyone of our kind is out there." Jasper said as if he was reading my thoughts. "Even if they wanted to find us it would take a long time and we would have plenty of warning time."

Just then Carlisle and Emmett came in and within five minutes all of my belongings were loaded up onto the box truck. I went into the bathroom with the duffle bag that I had packed up. I showered, dried my hair and then dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a blue off the shoulder top. I came out of the bathroom holding my matching wedge heels I had pulled out of the 'ARIZONA' box in the back of my closet that had been filled with all of my high heeled shoes that I couldn't wear in the rainy weather of Forks.

"You're really going to wear those?" Emmett asked with a huge grin on his face. "You'll kill yourself!"

"I will not." I argued as I sat on a folding chair that was sitting in the empty living room.

"Bella, I've seen you trip over nothing. Adding three and a half inch heels isn't going to help your balance." He said and I rolled my eyes and I slipped my feet into the dark blue wedges and started to wrap the ribbons around my ankles.

"Ok, a hundred dollars says I don't trip or fall once." I said and his eyes widened before he smiled.

"You are so on." He said and he shook my hand.

"Everything's packed up and the trucks are on the way." My dad said as he walked into the room. "Esme and Carlisle are driving so they don't have to stop. I have to go to the station and I will be catching my flight an hour after yours with Rosalie and Emmett."

"Ok, Dad." I said standing up and walking across the room to hug him. Jasper led me out of the house to a rental and drove us to the airport after loading my bag into the back seat.

With Jaspers help I slept through the entire flight. Jasper pulled the hood of his jacket up to block the sun from his face and grabbed my bag as we got off the plane. There was a rental car waiting with tinted windows. I was confused when Jasper pulled over in front of the sigh that said Whitlock Ranch.

"I need to hunt, Bella." He explained. "Just follow the road. It will lead you directly to the house. My friend Peter already knows that we're here so feel free to just walk in."

He disappeared in nearly an instant. I drove down the road and parked in front of the house that was big enough to house twenty people. I got out, leaving my bag in the car for now. I cautiously walked up the stairs and just as I was about to open the door it opened and I was looking directly up into ruby red eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

…and I was looking directly up into ruby red eyes.

Have you ever been told that your life flashes before your eyes when you are about to die? Well, that is a lie. It doesn't flash, in fact, the events of your life never even comes into the picture. It is as if nothing of the past seems to matter and in that last moment before you will die you feel at complete peace. You suddenly understand that nothing you have done could have changed or delayed this moment because this moment was set in whatever fabric of time there was. To be relieved of all of the mortal responsibilities is such an awesome feeling that I am honestly surprised that more people do not seek it out time and time again if they are lucky enough to step away from their moment of death. I have felt that amazing wait lift from my soul many times, and a feel that I will not continue to be as lucky as I have been in the past. As I looked up into the blood red eyes of the blonde woman standing in front of me the feeling slowly faded until I was able to take in a slow breath.

"You must be Bella." She said and her voice was like soft chimes in a low wind. "Peter said you would be arriving. He didn't say when so it could have been in a few years or a few years ago but you're here now, and that's all that matters. You're going to be so good for Jas. Are you hungry? Thirsty?" She asked me and I bit my lip as I nodded, hoping that she was not thirsty. "Good, Peter is just finishing dinner for you and you can have your choice of red wine, white white or beer."

"Um, what's for dinner?" I asked jumping when she placed a hand on the small of my back and led me farther into the house and into the kitchen. When I entered the room another red eyed vampire looked up from the pan on the stove and I could see the scars on his arms, neck, and face.

"Is there a bathroom?" I asked quietly and when I was pointed towards a powder room I very nearly ran to it and locked the door behind me. I knew they wouldn't hurt me. They were Jaspers friends and they were to be trusted. I had been warned that they did not abstain from human blood like the Cullen's did but I couldn't help my own reaction against them.

I looked up at my reflection in the mirror and saw how scared I looked. I was just the scared little human in a house full of vampires. I had just left this situation and yet here I was again in the same or at least similar situation with a different vampire. I had chosen to become a vampire when I had been in love with Edward. When I had someone to spend eternity with it had seemed like such a good idea. But now I was to become a vampire by Jasper, and I wasn't sure that there was enough of a connection for that. Sexual attraction, yes, but other than that I really knew nothing about the man. I knew he was in the civil war, and that he had once been a blood drinker like Peter and Charlotte.

That reminded me of Alice saying that if Jasper and I were together he would go back to drinking from humans. Could I do that to Jasper, ruin everything he had worked so hard to achieve over the years. Was I willing to risk it?

Was Alice even telling the truth about that vision? Any of her visions? Could I trust anything she had ever said to me after this? She had told me that she had seen Edward and I together from the beginning but that had been to stop me from being with Jasper. Was this another lie? Was I supposed to be with Jasper? Or was that just a distraction to hide what she really want? And what did she really want?

"Bella, are you okay?"

I jumped and let out a small scream when Jasper spoke through the door.

"Bella?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm fine!" I called back to him, turning on the water in the sink. I washed my hands and my face before drying them on the crisp white towels hanging on the wall. When I opened the door I saw Jasper leaning up against the wall with his foot kicked back and his head resting on the wall as well. When I opened it he looked down at me and once he had assured himself that I was okay he smiled a little.

"Hungry?" He asked and I nodded. I jumped a little when his hand ghosted over my back, guiding me. It wasn't like when Edward did it. His hand was heavy and he tended to push me towards where he wanted me to go. Jaspers hand I barely felt and it gently guided me back to the kitchen where Peter and Charlotte were both waiting.

"Feeling batter, Darling?" Peter asked and I nodded before taking a seat. He turned to Jasper. "I'm guessing those shifters patrolling my property are yours?" He asked and I looked up shocked.

"They're here?" I asked him. He nodded.

"After you eat I'll take you out on a tour of the property and show you where they've set up camp." Peter said and after a small hesitation I nodded. He grinned and set down a plate in front of me. "Hope you like it." He added as I looked at the steak, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy on the plate. It looked beautiful, especially when Charlotte added a glass of red wine on the side. I couldn't help but smile.

"You do know that the Hungry Man box is still on the counter, right?" I asked them and they froze before turning towards the counter where the blue frozen dinner box was sitting on the marble counter top. I took a sip of wine to hide my smile and thanked Peter again for the food before I started to eat. I was starving.

"The others are here." Peter said quietly and I looked out the window that showed the drive wa as far as the eye could see. Well, at least my eyes. I didn't see any cars but sure enough I heard doors opening and footsteps before the Cullen Family and my father all walked into the kitchen. I smirked when Peter just tossed the heated Hungry man box in front of my dad. Even funnier when my dad looked at it like it was a five star meal.

"The pack is headed this way to discuss strategy." Carlisle said and Peter shrugged. Once everyone had arrived we all moved outside to be more comfortable. "We need to change her tonight." He said with no preamble. "If we have any hope for Bella having enough control to go to Italy in less than a month then we need as much time as possible to train her and to help her with the blood lust."

"And we have to change Bella and Charlie at the same time." Esme spoke up. "Because if Bella accidentally hurts him she'll be heartbroken."

It was happening again. They were making decisions for me.

"Hey!" I shouted. "Don't you think you should ask me? You know, the one sacrificing herself to protect your family?" They all stared at me sort of dumbfounded. "That has to change, now." I said. "I'm not a little plaything that you all get to do whatever you want with. You can't plan out my life, or death, without my consent."

"Tell us, Bella, what is your death plan?" Rosalie asked, part proud/part sarcastic. I squared my shoulders and tipped my chin up.

"I'm going to have another couple glasses of wine, and take a bath, and read a book and have the best night sleep of my life. And tomorrow morning, after another glass of wine I'll be changed." I said grabbing the bottle of wine, my glass and heading upstairs, leaving them all shocked in my wake.


	9. Chapter 9

Okay guys, I know it's been a while and I'm sorry but here is the next chapter! As always, I own nothing but please review!

By the time the sun had risen the next morning I was on my second glass of champagne and relaxing in a hot Jacuzzi bath tub filled to the brim with hot water and bubbles. My father had simply agreed to wait until tomorrow morning. His perspective was that he was doing this so that he wouldn't lose me. He would do anything to keep me safe. I couldn't hear anything besides my father snoring, but I knew that all of the vampires in the house were up and about, preparing things and hunting. Once the water was room temperature again I drained the tub and dried off before I dressed in a matching set of panties and a pair of sweats and a tank top. If I was going to endure unfathomable pain for three days then I was going to be comfortable while I was doing it. I was starting to feel the slight haze of alcohol as I pulled on my fuzzy black socks and dried my hair with a clean towel. I jumped when there was a quiet knock on my door and my dad opened it shortly after.

"Hey, Bells." My dad said quietly as he walked in and sat on the edge of the bed that I had used. "That Jasper is better than cold medicine." He said and I smiled. I remembered Jaspers gifts from the time in Arizona when I had been unable to sleep.

"Yeah. How are you feeling?" I asked him.

"Best night's sleep of my life." He said awkwardly seeing as it was his last night sleep of his life. "They said that it was gonna hurt. And that you already know what it felt like?" He asked me. I glanced down at my hand and the scars there that were almost as cold as vampire skin. I gave him a brief rundown of what had happened last year and he frowned.

"Peter is making burgers for us." He finally said with a smile as he stood. "I figure that for our last meal it's as good as anything."

I smiled and we both headed downstairs where there were burgers on the grill and buns being toasted. I normally didn't eat red meat but with a shrug I took a large bite and savored the food.

"Charlie," Carlisle said politely walking in when we were done. "Are you ready? We have morphine ready if you'd like it. It should dull the pain for most of your transition."

Charlie gave a final glance back at me before he followed Carlisle out of the room. I bit my lip as I waited for screaming but it never happened, for almost ten minutes I listened before I realized that Jasper was standing beside me.

"Do you want the morphine?" He asked me and I shook my head almost violently. "Are you ready?"

"Are you the one… are you going to bite me?" I asked him, hesitantly.

"Bella, I know that you aren't ready for another relationship just yet. I understand that you need time to heal, but part of me… instinct, you could say, is screaming at me to claim you and protect you. I don't think you get it because I want to kill Carlisle and Emmett and even Peter, who wouldn't ever betray me, anytime they get close to you. If any of them even tried to bite you…"

He hesitated and turned away.

"I will be the one changing you, yes." He said, finally and turned back to look at me. "Are you ready?" He asked again and I nodded. I stood and followed him into the room that Carlisle had taken my father and I saw him laying almost peacefully on a hospital bed and there was another one waiting in the center of the room. I abruptly turned when I got to the edge of the gurney and held my arm out to him wrist up. He smiled down at me and took my hand, pulling me closer to him. I was frozen in shock and fear when he pulled me flush against him and his other hand cupped the side of my neck. I started to tremble when his mouth moved closer to my neck and after an eternity of waiting that only lasted a second or two I felt the searing pain of venom as he bit into my neck. In the face of such mind numbing pain my legs gave out of me and I was aware of Jasper catching me even as I started screaming. I barely felt him pick me up and set me down on the gurney. My hands fisted in the sheet on it and I couldn't make myself let go of them. The pain lasted an eternity. It didn't weaken, it didn't seem to level out at any point, and it grew on itself becoming more and more painful the longer it lasted. I became blind to anything but pain and I tried to recall my most important human memories before it seemed like I blacked out to nothing but pain.

And then it changed. The pain left my extremities and intensified in my chest and head and I realized that my screams, which had lulled into whimpers and groans, had now returned full force. I couldn't contain my cries of pure agony and I couldn't think as the pain slowly left my head and centralized on my chest. Momentarily I think I tried to claw my heart out of my chest, as if that would stop the pain, before I was restrained. And then suddenly the pain was gone and I slumped back onto the gurney. It felt like waking up from a drugged sleep. I was able to twitch my fingers and hear the sounds of a house. But nothing else. No breathing or movement as I slowly regained control of my body.

"Bella?"

A voice spoke but I was having a hard time placing it. I opened my eyes and looked around the unfamiliar room.

"Bella?" The voice asked again and I found myself sitting up, and looking around the room. I saw the empty gurney before I saw the man standing by the door, his posture slightly defensive. I was on my feet in an instant in my own crouch, unable to take my eyes off of him. He was covered in scars where I could see his skin. His hands, wrists, arms and his neck. He even had a few on his jawline. And yet, I didn't feel any threat from him, like I knew that he wouldn't hurt me. He had just surprised me.

"Where is my dad?" I asked him, surprised at my own voice. It was different than it had been.

"He's with Carlisle and Emmett. They're going to take him on a hunt." Jasper said. I remembered his name, but not much else about him. I don't think that I really knew that much about him. At the mention of a hunt I brought my fingertips to my own throat. I was… thirsty.

"Would you like to hunt?" He asked me and my eyes darted around for a way out of the room. He held his hand out to me and I stared at it for a moment. I walked closer but didn't take his hand as he opened the door. Slowly I walked behind him even as he watched me. He led me outside and I stopped when the wind blew into my face just as I inhaled. There was something on the air, some scent that made my mouth water that maybe had a tint to it that made my nose wrinkle. Blood. That was the scent of blood and I wanted it, even if it smelled… off.

He didn't stop me as I was suddenly dashing insanely fast towards the scent. It took less than a minute before I found it, some sort of cat lounging on a rock in the sun and I attacked without thinking. Its neck snapped easily as my teeth pierced its skin. I took several gulps of the warm think liquid before my body seemed to convulse and I puked it up right next to my kill.

"Bells!" A new voice, this time a familiar one. I couldn't forget the voice of my own father. He dropped to my knees and rubbed my back as I emptied my stomach.

"What's wrong?" Jasper asked catching up, but I heard others approaching and I was suddenly crouched down again, ignoring the blood dripping from my face.

"She puked up the blood." My father told Jasper and when I recognized the others I fell back to my knees.

"There's something wrong with it." I said shaking my head.

"It doesn't smell sick, Bella." Carlisle said quietly.

"It was wrong!" I shouted angrily at him and he took a step back even as Jasper stepped between us.

"Okay, Bella, let's go find something else." Jasper said to me, moving in my line of sight again when my eyes glared past him at Carlisle.

By the time I was puking up blood for the fourth time, all from different animals I had decided that I sucked at being a vampire. It was more painful than the first time and my now I felt like I was dying of thirst. I vaguely heard a cell phone ringing.

"Hello?" Carlisle answered.

"Where's Bella right now?" Alice shouted. It sounded muffled over the phone but I could still hear her clearly.

"We are hunting Alice." Carlisle said confused. "Are you at the Denali's? Let me speak to Carmen."

"I just saw her drinking from a human, how could you be so careless to allow that, Carlisle? You know that Jasper will-"

Carlisle hung up the phone.

"There aren't any humans for a hundred miles." Carlisle said to me when I looked nervous. "We checked the whole area."

"Maybe that's what she needs."

Everyone froze and looked over at my father who had spoken.

"What?" He asked. "Can't vampires be allergic to animal blood?"

"I think he's onto something." Peter said.

"I'm not going to kill anyone, so just forget about it." I snapped at him and he got a confused look on his face before he shook his head. "I think we should try an animal that doesn't eat meat." He repeated the words that he had spoken twenty minutes ago.

"We already tried that Peter." Charlotte sighed pointing at the elk that was lying on the ground. Emmett was digging a hole for it. Peter frowned.

"When did she kill that?" He asked, confused and then looked around. "When the hell did we get here?"

"Peter this isn't funny. Bella needs blood."

"Bella, I think you made him forget." Carlisle said quietly. "You said, 'just forget it' and he did. He's repeating what he said twenty minutes ago. Can you try it again? Maybe you can make him forget something specific."

I frowned for a second.

"You can try on me." Emmett said and I bit my lip. Jasper helped me stand up and I stayed leaning against him as I looked at Jasper. I thought for a second.

"Forget that you buried the elk." I said to him, nervously looking away from him. Nothing happened to him.

"Try to keep eye contact with him." Jasper whispered in my ear, pushing a bit of confidence at me. I took a deep breath and looked back up at Emmett.

"Forget that you buried the elk." I said and watched the dazed look cover his face. He looked around a frowned.

"Where'd it go?" Emmett asked.

"Okay, try to change the memory." Carlisle whispered, quietly.

"You already buried it, Emmett." I said to him and felt the current of _something_ flow through me.

"Alright, what next?" He asked, looking around. "The elk didn't work."

"Alice did say that she saw Bella drinking from a human." Charlie said and I looked up at him again.

"I think he's on to something." Peter said again and I frowned. "Look, Bella, I know you don't want to kill humans but you could hunt the way Charlotte and I do. We find people who are hurting others, muggers, rapists and criminals."

"She could lose control and hurt an innocent person." Esme said shaking her head.

"We could bring someone unconscious back." Charlotte suggested. "If it doesn't work we will find something else."

"Do it." Jasper said. "Quickly though, she can barely stand."

The two of them ran off and Jasper and my father helped me back to the house. My father had apparently had a good hunt, killing an elk and a mountain lion.


	10. Chapter 10

Okay, so I got a review asking if Bella felt the Mating Bond at all and I was happy that someone noticed it. The mating bond is an instinct and in my opinion Bella hasn't really had a reason for her instincts to take over. The Cullen's have always lived very civil lives and because of their lifestyles there instincts aren't as amped up as a nomad's instincts would be. Don't worry, they will be coming out full force very soon.

I heard Peter and Charlotte's truck driving up the road long before I heard the slow heartbeat of a human. I tensed up and saw Emmett and Carlisle stand closer to Charlie who was clenching his fists. He said that he would leave if it became too much for him to handle. I swallowed convulsively as the truck was turned off and I heard the doors open and then close. Charlotte came in first and then Peter came in carrying a human. His scent was similar to that of the animal but with no taint. It was clean, except for the scent of alcohol and smoke. I tried to restrain myself, to hold back but I couldn't and I found myself holding him up by the front of his jacket. He must have woken up just as I bit into his throat because he started to struggle, but it was feeble, compared to my newfound strength. The blood was like ice cold water down my dry throat, even though it was warm. It made my eyes close in pure bliss and quickly I felt full and satisfied. But it had to be wrong, the guy was still struggling as I pulled my mouth away from his skin and dropped him, stepping back a foot or two.

I looked around wide eyed at Jasper and Carlisle and my dad. They looked shocked. I looked back at the man who was staring up at me wide eyed in shock. I noticed that his neck there was no open wound. I realized that I was relieved that I hadn't killed him. An idea sprang to my mind.

"You don't remember anything that happened since you met these two." I said pointing at Peter and Charlotte. He briefly glanced at them before looking back at me, dazed looking. "You are riddled with guilt about your crimes. When you get back to town you will go directly to the police station and turn yourself in. Do you understand?" I asked him, hesitantly, hoping that this would work. He nodded stupidly and stood. He turned back to the door and simply waited.

"Peter, take him back to town." Charlotte whispered quietly to her husband, who nodded and left with the man.

"I thought you guys said that vampires were unable to stop themselves mid hunt." My dad said confused and I looked to Carlisle. "And I didn't think it was all that hard to resist." He added.

"I'm not sure why you were able to resist, Edward did mention that he had a hard time reading your thoughts. We've always believed that Bella would be an amazing vampire." Carlisle said with a frown.

"Why did you pull away, Bella?" Esme asked. "You didn't really drink that much."

"I was… full." I said with a shrug. I looked down at the blood on my clothes from the animals earlier. "I'm going to shower." I said quietly. Charlotte led me up to the bathroom and left me with some clean towels. I shut the door and stared at my reflection in the mirror. I hadn't changed so much that I didn't recognize myself but the changes were significant. My skin was pale and flawless, my lips dark pink. My hair was brown with natural red highlights and longer than before and my body was different. I had been skinny before, but now I had filled out. My hips and breasts had grown and I just knew that I wasn't going to fit any of my clothes. I showered quickly and grabbed another pair of sweats and a hoodie. Once my hair was dried I went back downstairs and I noticed Rosalie look away from me. My temper flared and I turned to her.

"What the hell is your problem, Rosalie?" I asked. "You've hated me from the second I've met you and I just don't get it."

"I didn't hate you, Bella." She said with a sigh. I scoffed. "Really, I didn't. I thought you were a risk to my family, and then you were going to throw away your humanity. You didn't even know what you were asking for. And you put us through trouble with James and then we had to leave our home. I was upset that you had uprooted us from our home."

"Then what's the problem now?" I asked, glaring at her.

"I feel guilty for not giving you a chance before." She said. "My brother just broke your heart and still, you gave your life up for us without hesitation. I don't understand how you could do that. Not many would." The anger left my stance and I noticed that Emmett was relaxing out of his stance and so did Jasper.

"I wasn't just in love with Edward." I said, looking away from her and out the window. "You guys were a second family to me and you all abandoned me. He left me heartbroken and abandoned in the middle of the woods, miles from my house. And when Alice came to my house after months of nothing I still flew half way across the world to save him because Alice was family. I didn't go for him. She was my sister, and I forgave her. I was just going to show him that I was still alive and come back to Forks to live my life. But I still loved him and when he came back, claiming to be sorry and that he still loved me and everything he said was a lie to keep me safe." I turned away and took a deep breath. "How was I, a simple human, to resist him? But everyone else was back and despite what he did, I still consider everyone else family, even if they didn't like me." I added with a look to her. "When that van almost crushed me, I bet you were willing to kill me, that innocent girl who didn't even know what she had gotten in to, to protect your family, weren't you?" I asked her and she looked away guiltily. But she nodded. "Well, guess what? I was willing to kill her too, to protect my family."

She was staring at me and venom tears filled her eyes as I turned and left the room. I felt Jasper following me and as soon as I was in a closed room I turned and dry sobbed into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and I stayed like that for a long time. He rubbed my back as slowly I started to feel better.

"I'm sorry that they had to bring in a human. I know that you have difficulty-"

"Bella," He interrupted. "I barely felt any bloodlust at all. Since the second I bit you the smell of blood, yours and your fathers didn't even bother me. When they brought that guy in, I was more worried that your father was going to lose control and you would attack him."

"True Mates." Carlisle whispered from the doorway and I looked up at him. I hadn't even heard him. "It's extremely rare for a vampire to find their True Mate, they don't even exist for most. It's always when a vampire turns their mate and they both share things. Even before Bella was changed she was able to manipulate your gift and I started to suspect. If the stories are true then she shares your empathy and you share her shield and her… unique hunting habits."

I looked up at Jasper and then back at Carlisle.

"I wouldn't let Aro know about this though, he would see the two of you as assets to aquire. Bella, I want you to make me forget about true mates. If Aro were to read my memories he would see."

I nodded and moved a bit closer.

"I want you to forget everything you know about True Mates. You've never even heard of it."

I looked away as the daze faded from his face and he smiled at me.

"Esme noticed that you probably wouldn't fit into your clothing and suggested that she and Rosalie could take you shopping." He said, never noticing that I had altered his memory.

"I don't have any-"

"Don't even finish that sentence." Jasper said quietly. "You will be always taken care of."

If I could have blushed I would have so I rushed upstairs and put on socks and shoes and brushed out my hair before I went back downstairs. Jasper was waiting for me with his hand out to me and hesitated for a second before placing mine in his. Apparently this was a group outing because everyone was ready to go. I followed Jasper to Peter's truck and when we got in I could still smell the human in it. Just as we were hitting town Peter and Charlotte were putting on sunglasses and Peter handed me a spare set.

"You're going to need to invest in some of these." He said with a grin and I remembered that my eyes were blood red and since I was feeding on humans they would stay that way. I looked at myself in the rearview mirror and realized that I would have to get very dark tinted glasses because I could just make out the red from my eyes.

"Humans won't be able to tell." Jasper said quietly beside me and I nodded. It took about half an hour and then we were driving through a busy street in town. Peter parked in the covered parking garage and I took Jaspers hand again as we got out. Rosalie walked directly over to me and pulled me into a tight hug before she stepped back and walked over to Emmett without a word. I bit my lip and held my breath as I walked into the mall and I glanced back at my dad. He looked horrified, not because of the blood, but because he honestly hated shopping and I relaxed enough to take a breath. I could smell the blood of all of the shoppers but I was full and if I had been thirsty I think I could have controlled myself enough to find someone, or to leave. To my right I heard Jasper inhale deeply and I looked over to see him smile.

"What?" I asked and he grinned at me, pulling us away from the group and moving close so the others wouldn't overhear.

"I've never been able to walk into a crowded public place and not worry about my control." He said to me quietly and I smiled back up at him as he turned and led the way back to the group. "What do you need?" He asked me and I bit my lip.

"Everything." I said and he smiled.

"Let's start with a bag, and a wallet, so you can put your new ID in it." He said and I frowned. He pulled out his own wallet, made of worn brown leather. He pulled out a little laminated card and I saw a picture of me, the new me on it next to the name: Isabella Hale. A quick glance at his own revealed the name: Jasper Whitlock.

"You didn't make mine the last name as you." I said curiously.

"You haven't agreed to be my wife, Bella." He said.

"Why didn't you use Cullen?" I asked, not really offended me. It personally reminded me of Edward.

"You won't take his last name." He growled, apparently thinking in the same line as myself and I nodded. We went into one of the stores that specialized in accessories and found myself a checkered cloth wallet that had pockets and slots for anything imaginable. The purse I picked out matched it and as soon as the teenaged girl scanned the price tag on both of them Jasper handed over a credit card. Then he took the wallet and slid in my new ID and social security card, a matching credit card, a gas card and a wad of bills into it before he shoved it into the purse and then held it out to me. I wanted to argue, but his reaction to my comment on money earlier stopped me.

"Thank you." I said, refusing to ask how much I could spend.

"I know it bugs you, but I've spent my entire life saving money to spend of my mate. It was in a savings account that Alice didn't know existed and knowing how you are about money you could live on it for ten lifetimes and never make a dent, Bella. It's always gaining interest and most of my investments deposit directly into it. Please, don't worry about it. It makes me very happy to provide for you."

I couldn't deny the sincerity in his words so I nodded and placed a kiss on his cheek. I wasn't ready for anything more but that I could give him.

"First things first," Esme said as we walked out of that store. "You need an outfit right now, because you are way too beautiful for that sweatshirt."

The men stayed in the strip as Rose Esme and I went into the stores and I found a pair of bootcut jeans, a tank top and a fitted flannel shirt made of the softest cloth I had ever felt. Esme bought it, swiping her card before I could even take mine out and then they pulled me into Fredericks. We spent almost an hour in this store and when I saw the price that rang up on the register I froze in shock. My wallet had already been in my hand, I had been determined to not let Esme pay when I had seen that four digit number and I wasn't able to comprehend how I had spent so much on lingerie. I gasped when Jasper stepped up behind me and guided my hand up to the machine and helped me swipe it.

"Can I see your ID, Miss Hale?" The girl asked me flashing bedroom eyes at Jasper. "It's so nice of you to help your sister go shopping. I think that even mentally challenged people need to pamper themselves too." She said as I had handed over the Drivers license. The hand holding my purse clenched and my eyes narrowed behind my sunglasses.

"He isn't my brother. So why don't you bat you're fake lashes over at someone who has low enough standards that he'll look in your directions instead of someone who is way out of your league and completely taken." I said before I snatched back my cards and signed the store copy of the receipt before taking my copy, shoving it in my wallet and grabbing my first few bags. When I turned around I stopped because I saw that Emmett and Carlisle had entered the store, most likely to help with the bags and had overheard my rant. They were both trying to hide their smiles as I stalked passed them. Thankfully Jasper said nothing about my outburst and by the time that we were done shopping I was more upset about the amount of money I spent than the cashier at the store.


	11. Chapter 11

Alright guys, I just put the finishing touches on Chapter 12 and I'm starting 13. R&R please.

The past two weeks had been spent practicing with my gift, learning how to control my new strength and speed and controlling my newborn anger. Jasper joked around that I had completely skipped my newborn stage except for my temper tantrums. Some days the smallest little things sent me in to a fit of rage and once I had actually torn Emmett's arm off. He had been joking that my anger issues stemmed from being sexually repressed and I had attacked him. Rosalie had not been happy but once she determined that I was under control and there was no threat to her Mate's life she had lectured Emmett about provoking me, only adding a parting comment until I was almost out of ear shot.

'Just because she doesn't get laid as good as I do or as often as I do, it isn't her fault.'

I had almost run after her but my dad had shouted through the house that he never wanted to hear about his daughter 'getting laid' ever.

Let's just say it wasn't working out very well. Nine out of ten times I attacked my provoker, the one exception being my father. I don't know who but something was fundamentally wrong with trying to hurt my father.

Jasper and I also worked in private to learn each other's gifts. It was going a lot better than my 'anger management lessons. As it turns out, my shield could be manipulated into two shields, and made bigger or smaller at will. It also could be made to protect against physical attacks as well. Jasper called me a natural when it came to his empathy, because it took me almost no time at all before I was sending Emmett into spontaneous crying jags. Every time it happened he started shouting at Jasper and Jasper would just smile and tell him he deserved it for provoking me. As for the memory thing we had to try that one while I was out hunting. He came with my always but he continued to drink animal blood and I was happy that he hadn't switched just because I was drinking humans. We were both fairly positive that he could hunt just like me, as his need for blood had lessened to the same amount that I needed.

We had grown close as we practiced, enough that I felt comfortable enough around him that when someone brought up the fact that we were mates I didn't get nervous or scared. The idea was growing on me and so was the physical attraction. I wasn't sure if he noticed but my feelings for him had become much less platonic than they had started. If he did notice he kept it to himself, maybe out of courtesy or maybe something else that I really didn't want to think about. I still hadn't told him that I had reading those books from his room.

"There's a letter from the Volturi!" Peter shouted when he came back from getting the mail. I was already in the living room with a book but I set it down and looked over at him nervously. Jasper was by side in two seconds and the rest of the family quickly gathered as well. Carlisle opened the letter and read it quickly.

"They expect us to arrive at their home at 11:00pm next Monday, but would appreciate it if we were in town a few days early. And Aro wants the _entire_ family to be there." Carlisle said and I pressed myself closer to Jasper.

There was less than a second of silence before Carlisle cell phone rang and I jumped. Jasper pulled me closer to his chest when Edward spoke, instead of Alice.

"I saw Alice's vision." He said and I rolled my eyes. "We are already at the Airport in Dallas and Alice is arranging transportation now. We should arrive in three hours." He hung up without waiting for a response and I was reeling. They were already in Texas. I couldn't believe they were so close and I wasn't sure how I felt about it.

I looked up when I heard a low growl, almost hard for me to hear and the others made a hasty exit, their excuses about hunting and luggage shopping trailing behind them. I could feel the anger and the possession radiating off of Jasper and I understood their reactions. Jasper was intimidating, but angry Jasper was all out terrifying.

"What's wrong?" I asked quietly. He took a step away from me and I frowned. Instinctively I didn't like it when he wasn't touching me. Now with the threat of the Volturi handing over our heads and with Alice and Edward a mere three hours away it sent my instincts haywire. Was he happy that Alice was coming back? Was he simply upset because he had had to pretend to care for me so long? I knew I was his mate, his True Mate, but did he feel like he was forced into this and rather be with someone he chose on his own?

"Bella!" Jasper snapped and I looked up into his eyes. "I can't take your doubt. What's wrong? Tell me what has you so confused and scared."

"If you don't want to be with me that's okay." I whispered, too afraid to say them louder.

"What?" He asked me, frowning.

"I-I don't want you to feel like you're stuck with me, because of this mate thing. If you want to go back to Alice-"

His mouth cut me off as I was slammed against the wall hard enough to leave a decent dent in it. This was the first time he had ever kissed me anywhere but my hand or cheek and I gasped. He took the opportunity to deepen the kiss until I felt my toes curling in my fuzzy socks and my hands were fisted in his hair. When he finally leaned back to look into my eyes I was panting.

"Bella, we are mated because some higher power, fate or destiny, knew that there would never be anyone as perfect for me as you are." He said and he pushed an emotion into me. It was more like several emotions that I couldn't completely sort out, love, lust, need, jealousy and several others all bundled up that had me leaning up and kissing him for all I was worth. I wanted to touch him, but I couldn't take my hands from his hair, I couldn't let him get any farther away that he was right now, in fact, I needed him closer, so I brought my legs up to wrap around his waist. His hands did the same thing on my hips, holding me up, pressing me closer even as he pressed me harder into the wall. I shrieked when we actually fell through it and I stared up at the ceiling in shock as bits of insulation rained down on us.

We both started to laugh at the same time. I stopped first when I noticed the position we were in. I was flat on my back with my elbows supporting my weight, pushing my chest out and my legs wrapped around Jaspers waist. He was holding his upper body off the ground with his elbows and he basically had a face full of cleavage and his loose hair tickled the tops of my breasts. I briefly wondered if it would tickle if his hair was brushing my tummy.

"I love you, Bella." He whispered and my eyes shot up to his. "If you're not ready that's fine, but I can't keep pretending that I only see you as a friend. I… I physically can't anymore."

"I-I love you too." I whispered and this time he looked shocked. "I love you. I just… I need to take this slow. I don't know how to do any of this." I said looking down at our bodies and he frowned.

"You've never had sex?" He asked and I felt his hopefulness.

"Does that make you happy?" I asked him and he smiled.

"It makes me the happiest man in the world to know that I will be the first and the last one to ever make love to you." He said and I couldn't help it. I kissed him again, this time gently and that was how we were caught when the others came back into the house. Jasper stood and helped me stand and I moved behind him as I frantically straightened my clothing.

My mouth dropped open when Emmett handed Rosalie a giant wad of cash. Rose just shrugged at me with a smile.

"He said that you would be tame in bed. That you probably wouldn't ever break a bed." She said. "But you two are breaking down houses with just making out, I don't want to be around when you guys get to the real thing."

"We didn't break down the house!" I denied. "It was just a wall!"

"Bella, that's one of the foundation points of the center of the house. It's one of three that stop the middle of the house from caving in." My dad said and I looked at where he was pointing to see the thick beam of wood. It was bigger than the rest and I could see that the part of the ceiling that had previously been held up by it was sagging.

"It looks like we'll be leaving tonight and we'll call a construction company tomorrow to fix it." Peter said. "But for now we should probably only go upstairs one or two at a time." We took turns going upstairs to pack, as couples, and once we were done we headed outside.

"Char, Peter and I will all need to hunt before-" I was saying before I heard a vehicle in the distance. Suddenly everyone was outside and I was standing by Jaspers side, his hand clutched in mine. They drove up in a sports car of some kind, Edward driving and Alice quietly singing along to an upbeat song on the radio. As they got out of the car I couldn't help but look them over. Edward was dressed like normal, a pair of tan slacks and a button down shirt, unchecked and his hair a mess. Alice on the other hand was dressed in a little white number with a wide black belt that made her look shorter than she already was. To my human eyes I remembered her looking like she was getting ready to walk onto a runway, but my vampire eyes only saw caked on make-up and too much perfume. I resisted the urge to choke on it. As they both got out of the car they were staring at me and they looked horrified.

"I thought maybe the first time you let her slip, but you're actually letting her feed on humans?" Edward said, anger radiation off of him. Normally when someone was angry in my presence it was all I needed to go into a fit of rage. This barely phased me and I wondered briefly if Emmett had been right about my anger being connected to my sex drive. Not that I would ever admit to that.

"My eating habits aren't really any of your concern, Edward." I said with a tight smile.

"At least you haven't let Jasper fall off the wagon." Alice said with an over dramatic, relieved sigh, smiling brightly at Jasper. I stepped in front of him and her smile turned sympathetic. "Don't worry, Bella, he's stronger than he thinks he is, what with you putting him in constant proximity of human blood. I don't know how you can live with yourself putting him in such pain, but when he's done with you I promise I'll take good care of him." I took a step forward, about to end her when Jasper wrapped an arm around me. "Ah, ah, ah, Bella, don't forget. I know you're every move. It would hardly be a fair fight." This time it was my turn to smile and I gained great pleasure from watching her smile falter a bit.

"Trust me, Alice, pain is the last thing Jasper feels in my presence and I promise you would never see me coming if I wanted to hurt you." The sexual innuendo I added to my remark as well as the confidence I radiated with my threat had her retreating to Edward's side. I turned to Carlisle and my Dad. "We'll meet you at the airport, okay?" They nodded and Jasper, Peter Char and I all loaded up into a truck and headed into town. We went our separate ways to hunt and when Jasper and I were alone together I turned to him.

"What's wrong?" He asked feeling my curiosity.

"Why don't you drink human blood?" I asked him and he frowned at me. "I mean, you could feed like I do and you don't have to kill anyone."

"I don't want you to think me a monster." He said and he felt my shock. "How could you not if I started feeding on humans? You do because it's the only way. Everything else makes you physically sick. I have another way."

"Jasper, I would never think less of you because of that. Honestly I have always wondered why you would abstain when human blood makes you stronger, it's your natural food source. I wouldn't think any less of you if you started drinking human blood." He could feel the honesty in my words and he bent down to kiss me.

"Well then, Darlin' we should get to it before we miss our flight."


End file.
